Chapter 16 — Shattered Sparks

The three stare at one another, eyes wide, minds scrambling like a thousand puzzle pieces thrown into the wind.

Emma: “Wait… what?” Her voice breaks the tense silence, cracking like glass.
Maya: “So… you… have powers too?” Her words are barely above a whisper.
Mark: “What do you mean too?” He scoffs, confused. “Wait—” His eyes widen, realization dawning. “That burning feeling in my leg when we fought… and your eyes… glowing?”
Maya: “I thought you would’ve known, the second I did that.”
Mark: “Oh sure, I should’ve just said, ‘OMG she has powers, let’s be besties!’” He rolls his eyes.
Maya: “Okay, whatever, so... you have powers.”
Mark: “...You two do too.”

Emma: “You’re the presence Master was talking about.”
Mark: “Excuse me?” His brow furrows, confusion shifting into suspicion.
Maya: “We have a—sort of coach. He gave us this crystal. Said it would help Emma with her powers…”
Mark: “The day you showed up at school, I felt something. A weird, heavy pull in my chest. I didn’t understand it.” He lowers his head, voice rough and sharp. “Now I do.”

His hands curl into fists, knuckles whitening. The shift in his tone makes both girls freeze.

Maya: “What do you mean?” She takes a step forward, voice gentle.

Mark: “Don’t come near me.”

His voice cuts like a blade. Maya flinches.

Mark: “I thought maybe—just maybe—you were different. That I could trust you. But of course, you, out of all people, had to have powers. You were never trying to help. You were just trying to absorb mine. Siphon them. Play pretend like we were friends. I told you on day one—don’t look at me, don’t talk to me, and if you do anything wrong—”

He stops, steps closer, dark eyes burning.

Mark: “—You’ll pay for it.”

He slams his shoulder into Maya’s, deliberately, like a punch wrapped in fabric. Then he storms off, a storm barely contained beneath his skin.

The silence that follows is unbearable.

Emma: “He has powers…” she says softly, almost dazed.
Maya: “Master lied to us…”

Her voice cracks at the edges like thin ice beneath heavy boots.

Emma: “He said he felt a presence… and gave me the crystal, but I still couldn’t control anything. He wasn’t trying to help…”
Maya: “He was absorbing Mark’s powers. Not for us. For himself.”
Emma: “He… he drained him.”

They stare at each other, the truth unraveling like poisoned thread.

Maya: “But… why?”

---

Meanwhile, Mark...

Mark’s steps are heavy, like his feet are dragging through wet cement. His breath catches in his throat, sharp and dry. His fists ache from clenching so hard.

How could he be so stupid?

He thought… for once… maybe someone wanted to really see him. Not as the edgy loner. Not as the ticking time bomb. But as someone worth saving.

Not through grades—those were a mess.

Not through charm—he was anything but.

But through that moment—when Maya collapsed into his arms during the Liam fight—he felt something shift. She didn’t flinch. She didn’t pull away. She trusted him. And for a second, he wanted to believe it meant something.

He’d buried the feelings under sarcasm, anger, insults. Easier to bully her than admit she made his heart ache in a good way. Easier to shove than to ask, “Do you see me?”

But now… this?

Now, he felt hollow.

Like his powers weren’t just fading—they were being ripped from him. Like Maya and Emma weren’t just strangers. They were thieves. And Master? The one person who promised to help?

Liar.

He wanted to scream. To fight. To do something stupid. Again.

He missed the thrill of rebellion—the rush of sprinting from blue-lit sirens, the chaos of consequences he could outrun. Maybe this time, he wouldn’t stop.

But something stopped him.

A tremor under his feet. Subtle. But real.

His eyes dart around the alley. Nothing moved. No sirens. No wind.

But his gut screamed. That wasn’t an earthquake.

It was a signal.

His breath hitched.

Maya.

Something was wrong.

She was in trouble.

And no matter how angry he was—how betrayed, how confused—he couldn’t stop the panic rising in his chest.

Because despite everything, his heart had already made the mistake of caring.